California High-Speed Rail Authority 

Fresno to Bakersfield 

Section 

Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact 

Report/Environmental 

Impact Statement 

Appendix 3.12-C 

Effects on Children’s Health and Safety

November 2017
Appendix 3.12-C 

Effects on Children’s Health and Safety

November 2017 California High-Speed Rail Authority 

Fresno to Bakersfield Section 

Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS 

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Table of Contents 

California High-Speed Rail Authority November 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

APPENDIX 3.12-C: EFFECTS ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY ........................ 3.12-C-1

3.12-C.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 3.12-C-1

3.12-C.2 EXISTING CONDITIONS.................................................................. 3.12-C-1

3.12-C.3 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ........................................... 3.12-C-5

3.12-C.4 REFERENCES ................................................................................. 3.12-C-7

Tables 

table 3.12-C-1 Child Population In The Vicinity Of The F-B Lga ......................................... 3.12-C-2

Table 3.12-C-2 Schools In The Study Area For The F-B Lga.............................................. 3.12-C-3

Table 3.12-C-3 Parks, Recreation, And Open-Space Resources In The Study Area For 

The F-B Lga ................................................................................................................ 3.12-C-4

Table 3.12-C-4 Construction Impacts On Children’s Health And Safety Specific To The FB Lga ........................................................................................................................... 3.12-C-6
Table of Contents 

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Acronyms and Abbreviations 

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 

EIR environmental impact report 

EIS environmental impact statement 

Fresno to Bakersfield Final Fresno to Bakersfield Section Environmental Impact 

Section Final EIR/EIS Report/Environmental Impact Statement 

F-B LGA Fresno to Bakersfield Locally Generated Alternative 

HSR high-speed rail 

May 2014 Project Comparable portion of the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final 

EIR/EIS Preferred Alternative 
Acronyms and Abbreviations 

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Appendix 3.12-C 

Effects on Children’s Health and Safety

California High-Speed Rail Authority November 2017

Fresno to Bakersfield Section Page | 3.12-C-1 

Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS 

APPENDIX 3.12-C: EFFECTS ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY 

3.12-C.1 Introduction 

This appendix describes potential children’s environmental health and safety risks associated 

with the high-speed rail (HSR) project. The analysis considers the proposed Fresno to Bakersfield 

Locally Generated Alternative (F-B LGA) and the comparable portion of the Preferred Alternative 

identified in the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental 

Impact Statement (Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final Environmental Impact 

Report/Environmental Impact Statement [EIR/EIS]) (Authority and FRA 2014), herein referred to 

as the May 2014 Project. 

The regulatory setting that relates to potential health and safety risks to children, and the methods 

and thresholds used to evaluate these potential project-related effects are the same as those 

discussed in the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014). For a 

description of applicable regulations that apply to this analysis, please see Section 1.1, 

Regulatory Setting of Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS 

(Authority and FRA 2014: 3.12-C-1-1). These sections also provide an explanation of the study 

area used for this analysis, which encompasses a 0.5-mile buffer from the HSR project centerline. 

Regulatory Setting 

Executive Order 13045 (EO 13045), Protection of Children from Environmental Health and Safety 

Risks, was issued in 1997 to minimize environmental health and safety risks to children, and to 

prioritize the identification and assessment of environmental health and safety risks that may 

have a disproportionate impact on children. EO 13045 also ensures that federal agencies, in their 

policies, programs, activities, and standards, address environmental and safety risks to children. 

Environmental health risks and safety risks include risks to health or to safety that are attributable 

to products or substances that children are likely to come into contact with or ingest, such as air, 

food, drinking water, recreational waters, soil, or products they might use or be exposed to. In 

proportion to their size, children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than 

adults. This puts them at greater risk of exposure to pollutants. Children's bodies are also less 

able to metabolize, detoxify, and expunge these pollutants. 

Methodology and Definitions 

The analysis was performed in accordance with EO 13045 and consisted of conducting a 

demographic analysis and review of the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA to qualitatively assess 

whether the project would result in children’s environmental health and safety risks. The analysis 

is based on the environmental documentation prepared in support of the Fresno to Bakersfield 

Section Final EIR/EIS. The following sections were reviewed because these resources would 

have the greatest potential to affect children’s health and safety: Section 3.2, Transportation; 

Section 3.3, Air Quality and Global Climate Change; Section 3.4, Noise and Vibration; Section 3.5 

Electromagnetic Fields and Electromagnetic Interference; Section 3.8, Hydrology and Water 

Resources; Section 3.10, Hazardous Materials and Wastes; Section 3.11, Safety and Security; 

Section 3.12, Socioeconomics, Communities, and Environmental Justice; Section 3.15 Parks, 

Recreation, and Open Space; and Section 3.19, Cumulative Impacts. 

The project study area in this analysis is defined as 0.5 mile from the HSR project alignment and 

station location. This distance is chosen since this is the area where the majority of the project 

effects occur (i.e., noise impacts only extend about 0.25 mile and local air quality impacts 

consider sensitive receptors, such as schools, residences, and health care facilities, under 0.25 

mile). Some disciplines, such as air quality, analyze a broader area when potential impacts could 

reach beyond 0.25 mile, but these effects are on a regional level. For the purposes of this 

analysis, children are defined as the population within the study area under the age of 18. 

3.12-C.2 Existing Conditions 

This section provides information on demographics, community setting, schools, parks, and other 

community facilities located in the study areas for the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA. 
Appendix 3.12-C 

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3.12-C-2 | Page Fresno to Bakersfield Section 

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Demographics 

In total, 30.4 percent of the population is under the age of 18 in the four-county region affected by 

the Fresno to Bakersfield Section of the HSR project (Table 3.12-C-1). Of the jurisdictions that 

are affected by the F-B LGA in the segment between the northern and southern termini of the F-B 

LGA, the highest percentage of children under the age of 18 (36.0) occurs in the city of Shafter, 

and the lowest percentage (28.8) occurs in the community of Oildale. Table 3.12-C-1 provides 

information on the population under the age of 18 in the study area for the F-B LGA. Section 2.1, 

Demographics, of Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority 

and FRA 2014) provides this information for the May 2014 Project. For additional information on 

demographics, refer to Section 3.12, Socioeconomics and Communities, of the Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement (Supplemental EIR/EIS). 

Table 3.12-C-1 Child Population in the Vicinity of the F-B LGA 

Location Population Population in the F-B LGA

Study Area

Percent of Population 

under Age 18

Four-county Region 2,365,242 57,106 30.4%

Kern County 839,631 57,106 30.3%

City of Shafter 16,988 11,087 36.0%

Community of Oildale 32,684 5,568 28.8%

City of Bakersfield 347,483 17,824 31.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2010. 

Community Setting 

The study areas for the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA run through the cities of Shafter and 

Bakersfield, and through unincorporated areas of Kern County. The study area for the F-B LGA 

also traverses the community of Oildale, located in unincorporated Kern County. The majority of 

residents, businesses, and community resources in the study areas are in the city of Bakersfield, 

while some are located in the city of Shafter and community of Oildale. The remainder of the 

study area consists mostly of rural agricultural land with few residences, businesses, services,

and community facilities, or other areas where children would congregate. For complete 

information on the community setting, refer to Section 3.12, Socioeconomics and Communities, of 

the Supplemental EIR/EIS. 

Schools 

There are 23 schools, including public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, in the 

study area for the May 2014 Project, and 28 schools in the study area for the F-B LGA. For both 

the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA, there are four schools within 0.5 mile of the proposed station 

location. For a list of the schools in the study area and within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station 

for the May 2014 Project, please see Tables 3.12-C2 and 3.12-C3 in Appendix 3.12-C of the 

Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014). Schools in the study area 

and within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station for the F-B LGA are listed in Table 3.12-C-2. 
Appendix 3.12-C 

Effects on Children’s Health and Safety

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Table 3.12-C-2 Schools in the Study Area for the F-B LGA 

School Location Type

Golden Oak Elementary City of Shafter Public

Redwood Elementary City of Shafter Public

Sequoia Elementary City of Shafter Public

Richland Junior High City of Shafter Public

Shafter High School City of Shafter Public

Central Valley Continuation High School City of Shafter Public Continuation

Free Will Christian Academy City of Shafter Private

Beardsley Intermediate and Junior High School Community of Oildale Public

North Beardsley School Community of Oildale Public

Beardsley Elementary School Community of Oildale Public

Horace Mann Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Vista East High School City of Bakersfield Public

Mount Vernon Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Sierra Middle School City of Bakersfield Public

Virginia Avenue Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Bethel Apostolic Academy* City of Bakersfield Private

Stella Hills Elementary School* City of Bakersfield Public

Pioneer Drive Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Ramon Garza Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Downtown Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Blanton Education Center City of Bakersfield Public

Legacy Christian Academy City of Bakersfield Private

Owens Intermediate School City of Bakersfield Public

International South Sikaran Academy City of Bakersfield Private

Bakersfield Adult School* City of Bakersfield Public

Valley Oaks Charter School* City of Bakersfield Public

Williams Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

San Lauren Elementary School City of Bakersfield Public

Source: Fresno to Bakersfield Section Supplemental CIA (Authority and FRA 2017). 

* These schools are located within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station location. 

Outside of the urban areas, the school boundaries are very large and can extend into the 

transportation corridors. It is likely that many of the students in these areas use transportation 

provided by the school district, rely on family members, or drive themselves to school. Refer to 

Appendix 3.12-B, Effects on School District Funding and Transportation Bus Routes, for a map of 

school district boundaries in the study areas for the May 2014 Project and the F-B LGA. 

Parks and Recreation 

The study area for the May 2014 Project contains 13 parks, recreation, and open space 

resources, none of which are within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station location. The study 

area for the F-B LGA contains 12 of these types of resources, 5 of which are within 0.5 mile of the 
Appendix 3.12-C 

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proposed HSR station location on Truxtun Avenue.1 For a list of the parks, recreation, and open

space resources in the study area for the May 2014 Project, please see Table 3.12-C4 in 

Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014: 

3.12-C-2-9 to 3.12-C-2-10). Parks, recreation, and open space resources in the study area for the 

F-B LGA, including those resources within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station location on F

Street, are listed in Table 3.12-C-3.

Table 3.12-C-3 Parks, Recreation, and Open-Space Resources in the Study Area for the F-B 

LGA 

Resource Location Distance from Project 

Centerline

Type

Mannel Park City of Shafter 1,040 feet Active

Town Square City of Shafter 560 feet Active

Kirchemann Park City of Shafter 480 feet Active

Stringham Park City of Shafter 895 feet Active

Riverview Park Community of Oildale 985 feet Active

Metropolitan Recreation Area* City of Bakersfield 490 feet Active

Kern River Parkway* City of Bakersfield 0 feet Active

Uplands of the Kern River Parkway Park* City of Bakersfield 515 feet Passive

Central Park City of Bakersfield 920 feet Active

Weill Park* City of Bakersfield 0 feet Active

Joshua Park City of Bakersfield 625 feet Active

Stella Hills Elementary School* City of Bakersfield 1,175 feet Active

Sources: Fresno to Bakersfield Section Supplemental CIA (Authority and FRA 2017); Fresno to Bakersfield Section Supplemental EIR/EIS Chapter 

3, Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (Authority and FRA 2017) 

* These parks, recreation, and open-space resources are located within 0.5 mile of the proposed HSR station location. 

Parks, recreation, and open space resources support passive and active recreation and use, 

depending on the facilities provided. Passive resources are identified as open-space areas with 

trails and/or picnic areas. Active resources are identified as those that require development (such 

as playgrounds and ball fields). Parks that are considered active are associated with more 

intensive use by children. Under the May 2014 Project, all 13 of the parks, recreation, and open 

space resources in the study area are active parks, while under the F-B LGA 11 of the parks in 

the study area are active parks and 1 is a passive park. Refer to Section 3.15, Parks, Recreation, 

and Open Space, of the Supplemental EIR/EIS for more information on the parks located in the 

study area of the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA. 

Community Facilities 

For this analysis, community facilities include those places where children congregate. These 

include religious institutions, daycare facilities, museums, libraries, and community centers. In the 

study areas for the May 2014 Project and F-B LGA, services and facilities include schools (public 

and private), religious institutions, parks and recreation facilities, government facilities (such as 

courthouses, city halls, post offices, and libraries), cemeteries, fire halls, police stations, hospitals, 

transit stations, and social institutions (such as community centers, senior facilities, and social 

clubs). The majority of these are in the city of Bakersfield, with many located in the downtown 

area. Religious facilities represent half or more of the study area community facilities in 

Bakersfield. Complete information on the type and location of the community facilities in each 

1

 James Park was excluded from the total for the May 2014 Project since this park is no longer listed as a public park on 

the City of Shafter’s website (City of Shafter 

2016). November 2017
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community is presented in Appendix B, Community Baseline Data, of the Fresno to Bakersfield 

Supplemental Community Impact Assessment Technical Report (Authority and FRA 2017).

3.12-C.3 Environmental Consequences 

Construction and operation of the HSR project has the potential to result in adverse effects to 

children’s health and safety. These potential impacts were evaluated in Appendix 3.12-C of the 

Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014) for all alternative 

alignments considered in the report, including the May 2014 Project. Potential impacts relating to 

the F-B LGA would be similar to those that may occur under the other alignments because the FB LGA would require the same type of construction and operation activities and it would cross 

through areas with the same types of community facilities where children are likely to congregate. 

As with the May 2014 Project and other HSR alternatives, the F-B LGA would traverse residential 

neighborhoods.2

 Therefore, the analysis included in Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield

Section Final EIR/EIS also applies to the F-B LGA. 

Potential effects to children’s health and safety relating to all HSR alternatives are discussed in 

Section 3.0, Environmental Consequences, in Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield 

Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014: 3.12-C-3-1 to 3.12-C-3-12). This discussion 

explains that the analysis in the Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS demonstrates that 

under all alternative alignments considered in the report, including the May 2014 Project, the HSR 

project would not affect products or substances (i.e., water, soil, and food) that a child is likely to 

ingest, use, be exposed to, or come in contact with. The analysis contained in this Supplemental 

EIR/EIS confirms these findings for the F-B LGA. For a detailed list of environmental elements 

with potential impacts during construction or operation of the HSR project, discussions of these 

impacts, and descriptions of how the impacts relate to children’s health and safety, please refer to 

the following tables in Section 3.0, Environmental Consequences, in Appendix 3.12-C of the 

Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA: 3.12-C-3-2 to 3.12-C-3-11): 

 Table 3.12-C6: Construction Impacts on Children’s Health and Safety

 Table 3.12-C7: Project Impacts on Children’s Health and Safety

 Table 3.12-C8: Station and HMF Impacts on Children’s Health and Safety

Any construction impacts that vary for the F-B LGA or are specific to this alternative have been 

further described in Table 3.12-C-4, which includes any construction impacts that relate to 

construction of the HSR project, including the HSR station. It also discusses the significance of 

these impacts after implementation of mitigation measures. Operation impacts under the F-B LGA 

are the same as those identified for all HSR alternatives, including the May 2014 Project, in 

Section 3.0, Environmental Consequences, in Appendix 3.12-C of the Fresno to Bakersfield 

Section Final EIR/EIS (Authority and FRA 2014: 3.12-C-3-1 to 3.12-C-3-12).

Based on this analysis, no significant impacts on children’s health and safety are expected from 

construction or operation of the HSR project under either the May 2014 Project or the F-B LGA. 

The Fresno to Bakersfield Section Final EIR/EIS (2014) and this Supplemental EIR/EIS include 

mitigation measures that would minimize or avoid some of the children’s health and safety 

impacts identified in this analysis. These documents also contain a number of measures and best 

management practices that would be implemented during construction and operation of the HSR 

project that would further minimize or avoid impacts on children’s health and safety.

2

 Although the F-B LGA would pass through residential neighborhoods, it would result in fewer residential displacements 

than the May 2014 Project, and would therefore have a reduced effect to residents. Please see Section 5.1.3.1, 

Residential Displacements, of the Fresno to Bakersfield Supplemental Community Impact Assessment Technical Report 

for a discussion of residential displacements (Authority and FRA 2017). 
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Table 3.12-C-4 Construction Impacts on Children’s Health and Safety Specific to the F-B 

LGA 

Environmental 

Element

Impacts Summary Relevance to Children’s 

Health and Safety

Air Quality Station construction would take place over a period of four 

years, and sensitive receptors at schools, residences, and 

health care facilities near the station construction areas 

could potentially be exposed to health impacts from 

elevated concentrations of criteria pollutants and cancer 

risks associated with TACs. There are several sensitive 

receptors located near the Bakersfield F Street station 

including residences, schools, and parks.

Construction of the F-B LGA would result in lower 

emissions than those estimated for the May 2014 Project as 

shown in Table 7.10-2 of the Fresno to Bakersfield 

Supplemental Air Quality and Global Climate Change 

Technical Report (2017). Therefore, as with the May 2014 

Project, station construction under the F-B LGA would also 

not result in health impacts to nearby sensitive receptors.

Because the air quality impacts 

at stations would be reduced to 

a negligible impact under NEPA 

and less-than-significant impact 

under CEQA with mitigation, 

there would be no significant 

risks to children’s health and 

safety.

Hazardous 

Materials and 

Wastes

Construction activities that have the potential to result in 

accidental releases of hazardous material and wastes 

would occur within 0.25 mile of schools, including three 

schools within 0.25 mile of the proposed HSR station 

location and associated roadway improvements under the 

F-B LGA. These are Valley Oaks Charter School,

Bakersfield Adult School, and Stella I. Hills Elementary

School.

Mitigation measures will be implemented to ensure the use

of extremely hazardous substances or mixture thereof in a

quantity equal to or greater than the state threshold quantity

will not occur within 0.25 mile of a school.

Implementation of regulatory 

requirements would reduce the 

potential for a severe spill to a 

negligible intensity and 

therefore impacts on children’s 

health and safety would be 

negligible under NEPA and 

less-than-significant under 

CEQA.

Parks, Recreation, 

and Open Space

Mannel Park, Town Square, Kirschenmann Park, Stringham 

Park, Riverview Park, Metropolitan Recreation Area, Kern 

River Parkway, Uplands of the Kern River Parkway Park, 

Weill Park, Joshua Park, Kern County Museum, and the 

recreational facilities at Stella Hills Elementary School, Free 

Will Christian Academy, and Redwood Elementary School / 

Richland Junior High would experience construction 

impacts. These impacts would include increased noise 

caused by the operation of equipment and visual change 

caused by construction activities, exposed earth, and

stockpiled materials.

Temporary construction impacts 

on parks include noise, visual, 

and traffic effects. These effects 

would be primarily an 

inconvenience or irritation but 

not a health or safety risk to

children. With mitigation, the 

impacts would be reduced to a

negligible (NEPA) and lessthan-significant (CEQA) level.

Sources: Sections 3.3, Air Quality and Global Climate Change, 3.10, Hazardous Materials and Wastes, and 3.15, Parks, Recreation, and Open 

Space of this Supplemental EIR/EIS. 
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3.12-C.4 References 

California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and USDOT Federal Railroad Administration 

(FRA). 2014. California High-Speed Train Project Final EIR/EIS: Fresno to Bakersfield 

Section. Sacramento, CA and Washington, D.C. April 2014. 

_____. 2017. Draft Fresno to Bakersfield Supplemental Community Impact Assessment 

Technical Report. Sacramento, CA and Washington, D.C. March 2017. 

U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Summary File 1 DP-1: Profile of General Population and Housing 

Characteristics: 2010. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. 

(accessed September 2015) 
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